Device for the cleaning and care of shaving devices

ABSTRACT

A device  1  serves for the cleaning and care of mechanical shaving devices  6  having a blade  7  arranged in a head part  9  and a handle  8 . The device  1  has two or three processing stations  3, 4, 5  for receiving the head parts  9  of the shaving devices  6 . A first processing station  3  serves for cleaning these head parts  9 , and a second processing station  4  serves for mechanically processing the blade.

The invention relates to a device for the cleaning and care of mechanical shaving devices which have a single-part or multi-part blade arranged in a head part of the shaving device and a handle.

For wet shaving, use is made of mechanical shaving devices which are also known as razors. These have a handle at the proximal end and a head part at the distal end, said head part usually being arranged transversely to the handle. The head part holds the single-part or multi-part blade. In the case of reusable shaving devices, this head part is designed to be replaceable. In order to soften the beard hair and to allow easier sliding of the blade on the skin, use is made of shaving soap, shaving foam or shaving gel. After shaving, soap, foam or gel accumulates together with a large number of removed hairs around the blade in the head of the mechanical shaving device. Apart from hygiene problems, this leads to the blades becoming blunt relatively quickly and thus having to be replaced. Finally, even after just one shave, the effect of a blade is already so greatly impaired by small ridges that there is an inevitable loss of quality. Rinsing of the shaving head with water or cleaning by means of manual brushes and other tools can be regarded only as insufficient in this regard. Using means known to date, a hygienic cleaning of the blades in a way that cares for and preserves the material can be carried out only in an unsatisfactory manner.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a device for the cleaning and care of mechanical shaving devices, which allows a cleaning of the head part of mechanical shaving devices together with blades under optimal hygiene conditions.

This object is achieved in that the housing of the cleaning and care device has a first processing station which serves for cleaning the head parts of the shaving devices and a second processing station which serves for mechanically processing the blade.

By virtue of this compact cleaning and care device, a two-stage and thus particularly precise cleaning of the blades and of the head parts holding the latter on mechanical disposable or reusable razors is possible for the first time. To this end, use is made firstly of a relatively roughly operating first processing station in which the head parts of the razors together with the blades are cleaned to remove hairs, soap, foam or gel. Said first processing station is followed by the second processing station, where a mechanical processing of the blade takes place, which decisively serves to extend the period of use of such a blade by automatically carrying out a kind of realignment and resharpening of the blade. The device according to the invention is particularly easy to handle; the user only needs to insert the head part of the shaving device successively into the two processing stations in any order and start the cleaning in the first processing station and the mechanical processing of the blade in the second processing station by way of an appropriate handle.

With regard to the first processing station, it is proposed that this has a brush which serves for cleaning the head part of the shaving device and which has a large number of bristles arranged on a shaft. By rotation of the latter, a targeted cleaning of the head part of the shaving device takes place around the blades, and contaminants are removed.

In this connection, it is noted that the second processing station serves for the grinding processing of the blade of the shaving device. It has been found that the blades of mechanical shaving devices exhibit a considerable loss of quality after the first use but also after subsequent use. The reason for this is inter alia that stress leads to waves and small ridges in the shaving blades. The invention tackles this with the grinding unit, in that a grinding processing of the blade and thus a restoring of the sharpness also by a substantial smoothing of the blade takes place.

For the grinding processing of the blade of the shaving device, use is made in this connection of abrasive paper which is clamped in a shaft, wherein preferably the abrasive paper is arranged in strips on a shaft. When this shaft is set in rotation, the abrasive paper or emery paper leads to a sharpening effect, which decisively helps to lengthen the period of use of such blades and thus of entire head parts of shaving devices. In a manner similar to the bristles described above, the abrasive paper comes into contact with the blade, which brings about the sharpening and restoration thereof.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that at least one shaft is configured in a removable manner, wherein this is preferably the shaft which serves for the grinding processing of the shaving device in the second working station. Once the abrasive material has been worn down, the shaft together with the abrasive material can easily be exchanged and replaced with a new one.

The most advantageous solution to this provides that the shaft is mounted in an insert which is configured in a removable manner in the side wall of the housing. In order to be able to reach the shaft for replacement purposes, the insert only needs to be pulled out of the side wall of the housing of the cleaning and care device. The used shaft is removed and is replaced by a shaft provided with new abrasive material, so that the cleaning and care device can again perform to full effect.

In this connection, it is noted that the insert can be fixed in the side wall and/or the bottom of the housing via a latching mechanism. For this, use is preferably made of two latching surfaces as the latching mechanism, by means of which the bottom is encompassed and accordingly clamped.

The replacement of used shafts is thus conceivably simple. Added to this is the fact that the latching mechanism has a rod on which the shaft is rotatably mounted. To this end, the insert and the rod are fixedly connected to one another. The rod serves for its part for holding the shaft, which is then rotatably mounted on the rod. The rod may additionally be fixed in a corresponding holder on the inner side of the housing.

In this connection, it is useful if at least one of the two shafts has a drive. This is set in operation via a switch on the housing of the cleaning and care device, as soon as the user has inserted the head part of the shaving device into the holder provided for this purpose. This leads to a rotation of the shaft, optionally at a variable speed, so that hairs and residues of shaving foam or shaving cream can be removed in a targeted manner.

In addition, it is provided that the bristles and the abrasive paper are arranged on a common shaft. This shaft passes through the entire device and is designed as a brush in the region of the first processing station and as a grinding unit in the region of the second processing station. When the handle is operated, the entire shaft is set in motion, so that the aforementioned processes occur in the two processing stations.

An even more effective cleaning of mechanical shaving devices can be carried out if the housing has a third processing station. This may be such that an additional effect can be exerted by the third processing station, for example a finer or rougher cleaning or grinding effect. In particular, it is noted that the third processing station is equipped with abrasive paper, and namely with finer abrasive paper than that provided in the second processing station, or vice versa. After the more or less rough pre-cleaning by the brush provided in the first processing station, a kind of divided second processing station then takes place. This provides grinding units of different stages. Firstly, a type of rougher grinding takes place in the second processing station and then a more exact grinding with finer abrasive paper takes place in the third processing station.

The present invention brings the significant advantage that a substantial cleaning of the head parts of mechanical shaving devices takes place in a fully automatic manner. To this end, the user only needs to insert the respective head part in the processing station. In this connection, it is provided that the processing stations are in each case equipped with holders for the head parts of the shaving devices, which are arranged at a distance from the shafts that benefits the cleaning and/or grinding effects. In other words, when the shaving device is correctly inserted in the processing station, it inevitably finds the optimally oriented position relative to the tools. To this end, suitable holders for the head parts of the shaving devices are provided in the housing.

Furthermore, the holders are equipped with a pivoting mechanism which serve for fixing the head parts of the shaving devices during cleaning and/or grinding. By virtue of the pivoting mechanism, the head parts remain held in the appropriate position. The pivoting mechanism must then be opened again when the shaving device is to be removed again from the housing after cleaning.

In addition to this, it is provided that the housing of the cleaning and care device has an additional rectangular holder for the head parts of the shaving devices. A type of cushion—for example made from foamed material—may be positioned in this holder in order to be able to place the head part thereon, for example in order to achieve a drying effect.

The invention is characterised in particular in that a device is provided, by means of which mechanical shaving devices can be cleaned and cared for in a particularly suitable manner. This procedure takes place in two fully automatic stages. Firstly, the head part of the mechanical shaving device is inserted in a first processing station, where a pre-cleaning by a rotating brush takes place. In a second processing stage, a grinding processing of the blade takes place by means of a likewise rotating grinding unit. The shaving devices are in each case held via pivoting mechanisms in collaboration with the holders in an optimal position relative to the brush and the grinding unit, so that a targeted cleaning and restoration of the blades can take place.

Further details and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description of the associated drawings, in which one preferred example of embodiment is shown together with the necessary details and individual parts. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a cleaning and care device with two processing stations,

FIG. 2 shows a cleaning and care device with three processing stations,

FIG. 3 shows a holding and pivoting mechanism,

FIG. 4 shows a mechanical shaving device,

FIG. 5 shows the device of FIG. 1 in side view,

FIG. 6 shows the device of FIG. 1 in perspective view,

FIG. 7 shows an insert with shaft in side view, and

FIG. 8 shows an insert with shaft in plan view.

FIG. 1 shows the cleaning and care device 1 according to the invention with the housing 2. Said device has two processing stations 3 and 4. The processing station 3 comprises a holder 19 for the shaving device (not shown here). When the latter is positioned with its head part in the holder 19, a cleaning of the head part of the shaving device around the blade or blades thereof takes place via the bristles 12 of the brush 11. The holder 19 and pivoting mechanism 23 ensure that the head part of the shaving device is always oriented optimally relative to the brush 11 so that an optimal cleaning effect is ensured. The same then also applies to the holder 18 and the pivoting mechanism 21 in the context of the processing station 4 shown on the left. Therein, abrasive paper 14 is positioned in strips 15 around the shaft 16, so that a corresponding grinding processing of the blade takes place as the shaft 6 rotates. The housing 2 also has a holder 25, in which a foam cushion 28 is positioned here. Reference numeral 24 denotes an on/off switch. Actuation of the latter leads to the rotation of the shaft 13, 16 (formed in one piece here) and thus at least in theory simultaneously to a cleaning effect by the brushes positioned in the processing station 3 and a grinding effect by the abrasive paper 14 provided in the processing station 4.

The device 1 shown in FIG. 2 has a third processing station 5. In addition, the processing station 5 is located in the middle between the processing stations 3 with brushes and 4 with abrasive paper 14. The abrasive paper 17 provided in the third processing station 5 is finer than the abrasive paper 14 provided in the second processing station 4, or vice versa. The processing station 5 is also equipped with a holder 20 for the head part of a shaving device and also a pivoting mechanism 22.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a greatly simplified diagram of a holder 18 and a pivoting mechanism 21 together with the shaft 16. This is intended to show in particular that the holder 18 including the webs 26, 27 is positioned at a distance from the shaft 16 and from the abrasive paper 17 clamped in the latter, so that an optimal processing of the head part of the shaving device, which is not inserted here, can take place. The pivoting mechanism 21 is located here in a position which is partly pivoted out counter to the force of the spring 29. In actual fact, the pivoting mechanism 21 pushes in the clockwise direction as shown by the arrow 30, so that the head part of the razor is fixed in its position via the retaining means 31. The device according to the invention can thus also be hung vertically on a wall for example, since any sliding-out of the razor is successfully prevented by virtue of the pivoting mechanism 21.

FIG. 4 shows such a razor 6 with the handle 8 and the blade 7 on the head part 9 of the shaving device 6. The latter can be cared for in a particularly suitable manner by the cleaning and care device according to the invention.

FIG. 5 shows the cleaning and care device 1 according to the invention in side view. It consists of the upper housing part 40 and the lower housing part 41. The first includes inter alia the pivoting mechanism 21 which can be seen here and the holder indicated by the arrow 18. The lower housing part 41 comprises inter alia the insert 33 which can be removed from the housing 2, more specifically from the lower housing part 41, and the feet 42, 43. It can clearly be seen that the insert 33 is mounted in the side wall 34 of the housing 2 or is mounted there in the bottom 38 of the housing 2 (in a manner which cannot be seen here).

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the device 1. It is possible to see the two processing stations 3 and 4 with the corresponding pivoting mechanisms 21 and 22 which allow insertion of the shaving devices (not shown here). The shaft 16 is then responsible for the processing thereof in the holder 18 of the processing station 3, while the shaft 13 is responsible for the processing in the holder 19 of the processing station 4.

This shaft 16 together with the associated insert 33 is shown in side view in FIG. 7. The insert 33 designed in a manner corresponding to the side wall and/or the bottom of the housing of the device additionally comprises a rod 37, on which the shaft 16 is rotatably mounted. In order to remove the shaft 16 from the insert 33 for replacement purposes, or more specifically from the rod 37, the shaft only needs to be pulled away from the rod 37 in the direction of the arrow 39. The insert 33 itself has in this case a two-part latching mechanism 35, 36. The bottom of the housing, around which the latching mechanism 35, 36 is clamped, is indicated and provided with reference 38. A spacer 44 serves to ensure that the shaft 16 can assume its intended position in the housing of the cleaning and care device according to the invention.

Finally, FIG. 8 shows a plan view of the insert 33 together with the shaft 16 placed onto the rod 37. Reference numerals 14 and 15 denote the grinding means in the form of the abrasive paper. 

1. A device (1) for the cleaning and care of mechanical shaving devices (6) which have a single-part or multi-part blade (7) arranged in a head part (9) of the shaving device (6) and a handle (8), wherein the housing (2) of the cleaning and care device (1) has a first processing station (3) which serves for cleaning the head parts (9) of the shaving devices (6) and a second processing station (4) which serves for mechanically processing the blade (7).
 2. The cleaning and care device according to claim 1, wherein the first processing station (3) has a brush (11) which serves for cleaning the head part (9) of the shaving device (6) and which comprises a large number of bristles (12) arranged on a shaft (13).
 3. The cleaning and care device according to claim 1, wherein the second processing station (4) serves for the grinding processing of the blade (7) of the shaving device (6).
 4. The cleaning and care device according to claim 3, wherein, for the grinding processing of the blade (7) of the shaving device (6), use is made of abrasive paper (14) which is clamped in a shaft (16).
 5. The cleaning and care device according to claim 2, wherein at least one shaft (13, 16) is configured in a removable manner.
 6. The cleaning and care device according to claim 5, wherein the shaft (13, 16) is mounted in an insert (33) which is configured in a removable manner in the side wall (34) of the housing (2).
 7. The cleaning and care device according to claim 6, wherein the insert (33) can be fixed in the side wall (34) and/or the bottom (38) of the housing (2) via a latching mechanism (35, 36).
 8. The cleaning and care device according to claim 7, wherein the latching mechanism (35, 36) has a rod (37) on which the shaft (13, 16) is rotatably mounted.
 9. The cleaning and care device according to claim 2, wherein the shaft (13) and/or the shaft (16) have a drive.
 10. The cleaning and care device according to claim 1, wherein the bristles (11) and the abrasive paper (14) are arranged on a common shaft (13, 16).
 11. The cleaning and care device according to claim 1, wherein the housing (2) has a third processing station (5).
 12. The cleaning and care device according to claim 11, wherein the third processing station (5) is equipped with abrasive paper (17).
 13. The cleaning and care device according to claim 1, wherein the processing stations (3, 4, 5) are in each case equipped with holders (18, 19, 20) for the head parts (9) of the shaving devices (6), which are arranged at a distance from the shafts (14, 16) that benefits the cleaning and/or grinding effects.
 14. The cleaning and care device according to claim 13, wherein the holders (18, 19, 20) are equipped with a pivoting mechanism (21, 22, 23) which serve for fixing the head parts (9) of the shaving devices (6) during cleaning and/or grinding.
 15. The cleaning and care device according to claim 1, wherein the housing (2) of the cleaning and care device (1) has an additional rectangular holder (22) for the head parts (9) of the shaving devices (6). 